Shattered Dreams Ch. 03

Janey walked to the doorway of the games room and looked in to where Robby and Adam were seated at the table in the corner. She knew she had to do what she was about to do to enable herself to move on and put the events of the past weeks behind her.

Adam looked up at the sound of her footsteps and smiled encouragingly at her.

"Hi Janey. Did you want something?" Adam asked in his quiet voice.

Janey trembled slightly as she held eye contact with Adam for several seconds before looking away from him.

"I... I'll try to look at those photos," Janey said uneasily.

"Would you like to come over here and sit down?" Adam asked as he indicated the empty chairs.

Robby dragged his attention away from the report he was reading and lifted his head to watch Janey walk into the room uneasily. He smiled reassuringly as she took a seat across from him and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"We'll start with the same book as last time," Adam said as he moved around beside her and placed the book in front of her; he began to turn the pages steadily. When he turned the page to where Janey had left last time she flinched visibly and cleared her throat nervously.

"I recognise him ... him ... and him." She said softly as she pointed out the pictures of Seth, Roy and Zane.

"Do you know their names?" Adam asked softly.

"Seth, Roy and Zane." Janey said as she pointed to each one in turn.

"Where do you recognise them from Janey?" Robby asked gently.

"From in Melbourne and before then," She muttered as she looked away.

"Can you tell me what happened in Melbourne?" Robby probed.

"I was heading to the bus depot to catch the bus to Sydney when someone grabbed me from behind. It was Seth.." Janey said as she pointed at Seth. " I heard him, Roy.." this time Janey pointed out Roy ".speak and then I got slammed against a wall and passed out. Later, after I woke up and Zane was there too."

"You said you recognised them from before Melbourne?" Robby said softly.

"Yes." Janey said after a few moments, she had her eyes focused on one of her hands where it sat on the table beside the book.

"Where did you meet them?" Robby asked after she was silent for several minutes.

"At the house," Janey mumbled.

"What house?" Adam asked.

"Where I got took after I tried to run away and they decided to leave the cabin," Janey said faintly.

"What happened at the house? How did you meet them?" Robby insisted.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Janey shook her head as she tucked her hands in her armpits and hugged herself.

"Are you sure you knew them before?" Robby asked. As much as he wanted to slam the book shut and never make his little sister look at it ever again he knew he needed to press for as much information as he could get her to reveal to help make a case against the men.

"Seth raped me, his friends helped him." Janey said bitterly.

There! It was out! She thought to herself. She couldn't bring herself to look at her brother. She didn't want to see the sympathy or sorrow or sadness he might have in his eyes.

Adam and Robby exchanged glances. Now they knew why she had been so loath to look at the pictures.

There was silence for a few minutes as Adam quickly made notes in his notebook. Once he was finished he cleared his throat signalling to Robby to continue with his questions.

Robby wanted to hug his sister and promise her that these men could never hurt her again but he was afraid he would shatter her hard won composure.

"Look at some more pictures and see if you know anyone else," Robby said as he turned the page.

Janey remained silent through the rest of the book and when it was finished Adam moved it and placed another book in front of her.

"You mentioned to one of the nurses something about motorbikes. Here are some pictures of known bikers. Tell me if you recognise any. Maybe you saw one of them talking to the man who abducted you." Adam said soothingly when Janey flinched at the sound of his voice. He didn't tell her that some of the men in the pictures he was about to show her were suspected of being involved in selling drugs and in some cases possible sex slavery.

"I want a drink." Janey protested. 'They know what happened to me! They know all of it!' she thought in a panic as she realised he must have read some kind of report to know about what she had said.

"What would you like?" Robby asked as he got to his feet. "Coke? Coffee? Water?"

As soon as the words left Robby's lips Janey immediately thought to herself 'Coke and coffee would be no good for the baby.' Startled by the thought she jerked her head up to look at her brother.

"Which would you like?" Robby smiled at her, he could count the number of times he had seen her look anyone in the face since getting home on one hand.

"Tea please," Janey said after a moment's consideration. She couldn't help but notice the proud smile on Robby's face and she gave a nervous smile before looking away.

"I know just how you like your tea. And I think I'll bring in something for us all to eat." He announced as he headed for the door.

Janey sat staring off into space. 'The baby' she thought uneasily. The child that had been forced onto her just as Hawk and the others had forced themselves onto her. She looked down at her hands in her lap and realised that they were folded protectively over her stomach. With a start she realised she felt protective of the baby she had not known had existed until the previous day.

The child she carried was just as much a victim of what had happened as she was. She had to be strong for the sake of the baby, she had to do all she could to protect it and herself.

"Show me more pictures." Janey forced herself to say as she glanced at Adam and gave him a nervous smile.

Adam looked down at Janey once again thinking that it was a shame he was working on her case at the moment because if he had met her socially he would be quick to ask her out. He turned his attention back to the book in front of her and began to turn the pages slowly. He didn't want to look at her and admire her beautiful face, watch her expressive eyes and chance scaring her by his obvious male attention. He felt his body begin to react to her movements and forced his gaze away from her mouth. She's a victim he reminded himself. She didn't need him reacting like a randy teenager he told himself as he glanced towards the doorway as he heard someone approaching the room.

"Tea or coffee all round and some of Mum's chocolate chip biscuits," Robby announced as he came back into the room carrying a tray with three cups and a plate on it. He stopped beside Janey and handed out the cups making sure to give his sister the tea she had asked for and then he placed the plate within easy reach for her.

Janey was sipping her hot tea when Adam sat in the chair beside her and turned a page in the book. She spotted a photo with Matty and Brent in it. "I know them." Janey said as she pointed out the photo.

"What can you tell us about them?" Robby asked gently.

"Hmm, they never hurt me. They were mostly nice." Janey said softly. She didn't want to bring them into it but knew she had to.

"Do you know their names?" Robby asked.

Janey took a deep breath and pointed at first one then the other with a hand that shook badly. "That is Matty and he's Brent."

Robby grabbed the pen and paper Adam had been using, noted the page and the photo number then wrote down what Janey had said.

"Any others on those two pages?" Adam asked.

"Don't know any of 'em," Janey said as she reached for a biscuit.

Adam began turning pages again glancing between pages at Janey's face.

A page was turned and Ren was in one of the pictures. Janey put her hand on the page and her fingertips touched his picture gently. After a moment she lifted her hand and turned the page herself. She smiled at the picture of Brad and Ren. Brad was caught in the act of grabbing Ren from behind and lifting Ren off his feet.

"That's Ren. Renagade. He bought me my ticket home. He tried to stop the guy who grabbed me from hurting me all the time. But it just made him meaner when there wasn't anyone else there," She said. "That big guy is Brad. He tried to stop Hawk hurting me too." Janey said. She didn't notice Robby making notes as she spoke.

Adam reached over and turned the page and Janey recoiled as she saw Wilson in a group of three men.

"Him!" Her hand was shaking badly and she quickly tucked her hands under her arms as she shuddered. "Wilson."

"Would you prefer to talk to a female officer about some of this stuff?" Adam asked gently.

Janey bobbed her head in agreement as she continued to shake.

"Do you want to continue? Or leave it until you can talk to a female officer?" Adam asked gently.

"I just want to get it over and done with!" Janey said almost desperately.

Adam turned the page, waited a while then turned it again. Near the end of the book he turned the page and Janey drew in a harsh breath.

"Those two! That's Hawk! He was the one who took me from the camping ground... The other one is Jake. Afterwards he held me down...so Hawk could rape me." Janey's voice had trailed off until it was almost inaudible.

Adam turned the page to display the last photos, there was no further reaction from Janey and at last the book was closed.

"Janey would you give a statement to a female police officer about those men?" Robby asked gently.

Janey nodded jerkily without looking at either of the men.

"How about if Adam and I take you into town now and you can talk to one of the female officers?" Robby offered.

"Does it have to be now?" Janey asked faintly.

The sooner you talk to an officer the sooner it is behind you," Robby told her gently.

"Okay." Janey said so softly it was nearly inaudible.

* * * * *

Marina was waiting anxiously for Robby and Adam to return home with Janey. They had left mid afternoon and it was now after dark. Over four hours had passed and Marina was worried for Janey who looked very pale and stressed when they left. When the sound of a vehicle coming up the driveway reached her ears she went to the front door to look out hoping it was Robby's car. Recognising the familiar car as that of Robby's she felt a rush of relief as she headed back inside to dish up the evening meal.

"Where's Janey?" Marina asked when Robby and Adam walked into the kitchen without his sister.

"She has gone to her room to lie down. She says she is tired and doesn't want anything to eat." Robby said.

"I'll just fix her a tray and take it to her." Marina said as she turned to the cupboard and reached for one of the many trays.

"Mum, I think you had best leave her be. She gave quite a detailed statement to some officers and the officers are working on some warrants as we speak. Janey really needs time to herself right now." Robby said.

"She still needs to eat!" Marina said as she placed Janey's plate and cutlery on the tray along with a cup of coffee.

Robby could only watch as his mother ignored his advice and headed to Janey's room.

"How did it go?" Adam asked as he pulled out a chair. He had taken himself off the case after handing over his notes from when Janey had identified the men who had assaulted her in Melbourne. He told the sargent at the station he was becoming too personally involved to remain objective.

"Where are Marina and Janey?" Jim asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Janey is lying down and Mum has taken her a tray." James said with a glance at Robby who was clearly annoyed that his mother had not left their sister alone.

"I'll be glad when this family gets back to normal," Jim said.

Marina returned without the tray and sat down at the table. She glanced around at the four men at the table. Caro had rung to let her know that she was going out on a date and wouldn't be home until late.

Everyone set about eating with healthy appetites and Adam glanced at Robby still waiting for an answer. Robby shook his head and lifted his hand as if looking at his watch and Adam nodded as he got the message that they would talk later.

When the meal was finished James volunteered to get the tray from Janey's room and headed off to do just that. He knocked lightly and when there was no answer he opened the door a crack to look in. He could see Janey sprawled out on the bed on her stomach asleep.

"Janey, I'm coming in to get the tray," James said in a normal voice and Janey woke with a start, turned her head to look his way and then closed her eyes once again.

James walked into the room and got the doona off the floor where it had fallen and covered his sister with it before picking up the tray and leaving the room. He paused in the doorway to turn out the light before shutting the door on his way out.

In the kitchen Marina took in the untouched state of the tray with a frown but said nothing as she continued to clean up after the meal. James left the kitchen and headed outside where he could hear his brother and his mate talking.

"Hey so what have you been doing today?" James asked as he stopped near them.

"Managed to get Janey to see some sense. She looked at some mug shots and identified some people. There's a Detective from Brisbane in town working on getting warrants out after talking with Janey this afternoon. Janey say anything to you when you collected her tray?" Robby asked.

"No, why?" James queried.

"Just wondering." Robby replied. He had overheard Janey as she cried while talking to the Detective and heard Janey saying she found out the previous day that she was pregnant. It wasn't his place to tell any of their family but secretly he hoped that she would do the smart thing and get an abortion so she could try to get her life back together again. He would hate to see her forced to remember what she went through everytime she looked at the baby. He figured that the first person, the most likely person, she would tell about her pregnancy would be James.

"Maybe now she has taken that step hopefully she will start to get over whatever happened soon." James said.

"It will take a long while." Adam said. "First those she identified will be arrested and charged. Then comes the hard part. If they plead guilty to the charges Janey doesn't need to go to court, the judge will just sentence them. If they don't plead guilty then the shit really starts. Janey identified nine or ten men I think it was. If one or even worse two plead not guilty then she has to go to court and it will be her word against his or theirs. She will be made to testify about what happened and the council for the defence will try to tear her apart."

There was silence for several minutes as what Adam had said hit home. The men resumed talking amongst themselves with the topic of conversation quickly changed and eventually it got to a woman James had started to see in the last two weeks.

* * * * *

Janey woke the next morning and frowned at the overcast sky she could see out her window. She took her time before getting out of bed and getting dressed to go to the kitchen for breakfast.

"You're up bright and early this morning!" Adam said with a smile as Janey wandered into the kitchen.

"Janey usually is up before this. She's my early bird." Marina said with a smile for her daughter.

Janey sat down in her usual chair and managed a quick glance across the table at Adam. He smiled at her and she looked away as she waited for warm toast to pop up from the toaster.

"How are you this morning Blonde One?" James asked as he walked into the kitchen. He had always teased his two younger sisters by calling them Blonde One and Older One.

Janey froze at the sound of the familiar name. It was oh so close to another name and she suddenly realised that she missed being called Blondie. She shrugged off the feeling and reached for the toast her mother put on a plate fresh from the toaster.

"Hungry." Janey said with a frown when James pretended to reach for a piece of toast she had already claimed for herself.

Robby laughed at the familiar banter and earned a quick glance from Janey. "Someone had better go wake Caro up before Janey eats all the toast," He said with a half smile.

Janey stopped buttering her toast to look at her brother.

"Go on, eat your food. Don't just play with it!" Robby teased.

"Leave your sister alone!" Marina admonished.

"What's going on in here?" Jim asked as he entered the kitchen through the back door.

"The boys are picking on me and there are three of them now!" Janey immediately pouted like a little child. She had to struggle to contain the smile that threatened to curve her lips.

"I am sure you're more than a match for the three of them!" Jim laughed at the sight of his daughter trying to keep the pout around a mouthful of toast. He sat at the table and poured himself a cup of coffee. It made his heart lighter to see the Janey of old as she reacted to her brother's teasing.

Janey stopped eating as the strong smell of coffee reached her from the cup beside her. She swallowed several times fighting the sudden nausea and then thankfully her stomach decided to settle down and accept the food she was eating.

"Anybody know what time Caro got in last night?" Marina asked as she placed a plate with sausages, bacon and fried eggs in front of her husband.

"I never heard her. But she is in my room." Janey said as she reached for a second piece of toast.

"Will you be able to make it back here this afternoon or will you head off to your place from in town?" Marina asked Robby and Adam.

"We'll be heading off about mid afternoon." Robby said with an apologetic look at his mother. "I would love to visit longer but I need to get back to my station and Adam needs to get back to his section at work."

"Make sure you don't leave here this morning before I give you the baking I did for you. There are scones, jam drops and ginger cake." Marina informed her son.

"Yes Marm!" Robby said with a smile knowing his mother would insist on sending cooking with him.

When Janey was finished her food she got up and began to help her mother clear away the dirty dishes. Without being asked she set about washing up those plates that were stacked on the sink.

By the time Caro came in she was dressed for work and rushing to grab some toast as she was running late. "Must go. Talk to you this afternoon." Caro said and hurried out the back door towards where her car would be parked.

"Looks like everyone is busy today." Marina said with a smile at her youngest daughter. "What do you want to do today?"

Janey was silent for several moments as she wiped her hands on a hand towel before turning to face her mother. Overnight she had decided she would confide in her mother about her pregnancy. She knew she would need the full support of her parents in the months to come.

Marina studied the faint shadows of emotion that flickered across her daughter's face. As well as she knew Janey, this young woman standing in her kitchen was so different, so changed as to hardly seem familiar at times. And now, with the closed expression, the suppressed emotions that hardly showed at all Marina very nearly did not recognise her own daughter.

"Can we sit down? I need to talk to you Mum." Janey said as she met her mother's gaze.

"Sure Darling. I'm here any time you need to talk to me." Marina said reassuringly as she reached for a seat.

When Marina was seated Janey took a seat on the opposite side of the table and glanced across the table at her mother, she looked away before speaking. "The day before yesterday, when I had to go in and see Dr Michaels. And I had to get that blood test redone because the sample got dropped... well that's not why. The tests showed I'm pregnant. Now I was thinking real hard about it yesterday and last night, and I want to have the baby. I want to have it and keep it." Janey rushed to tell her mother before she lost her courage.